Heart rate training zones
Your five training zones in beats per minute, and what each one is for. With the heart-rate-reserve method if you have your resting figure.
Your figures
Result
- Maximum heart rate (bpm)
- 180
- Method
- zonas.metodoBasico
- Z1 - Recovery
- 90–108
- Z4 - Threshold
- 144–162
- Z5 - Maximum
- 162–180
- Heart rate reserve (bpm)
- 0
Your five zones
| Zone | Beats per minute | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| zonas.z1 | 90–108 ppm | zonas.paraZ1 |
| Z2 · Rodaje suave | 108–126 ppm | zonas.paraZ2 |
| Z3 · Ritmo medio | 126–144 ppm | zonas.paraZ3 |
| Z4 · Umbral | 144–162 ppm | zonas.paraZ4 |
| zonas.z5 | 162–180 ppm | zonas.paraZ5 |
What we assume
- This is an estimate to guide training, not a medical assessment.
- The 220 minus age formula is a population average. For any one person it can be 10 to 15 beats out in either direction.
- The Karvonen method uses heart rate reserve (maximum minus resting) and usually fits better, especially for trained people.
- Medication, caffeine, heat, altitude and fatigue all move your pulse. Zones are not exact borders.
How it is calculated
There are two ways to split the zones and they give different answers.
Percentage of maximum
The simple one: each zone is a percentage of your maximum heart rate.
zone = maximum x percentage
Karvonen
Starts from heart rate reserve, the gap between your maximum and your resting rate, and adds the resting rate back:
zone = resting + (maximum - resting) x percentage
It accounts for how trained you are: someone resting at 45 has far more room than someone resting at 75, and Karvonen captures that. Its zones come out somewhat higher.
The trouble with 220 minus age
It is an average taken from a population, not a law. There are forty-year-olds with a maximum of 165 and others with 195. If you have done a lab or field test, use that number: it changes the zones completely.
The zone that matters most
Z2, the easy run. It should hold most of your training volume, and it is where almost everyone goes too fast. You run slow so that you can run fast.
An example
At 40 years old, the estimated maximum is 180 bpm. By percentage of maximum, Z2 runs from 108 to 126 bpm. With Karvonen and a resting rate of 60, the same zone climbs to 132-144: a big difference, which is why it is worth knowing which one you are using.
Frequently asked questions
Which method should I use?
Karvonen if you know your resting heart rate, because it adapts to your fitness. The percentage method if you do not. Either way, a measured maximum beats an estimated one by a mile.
How do I measure my resting heart rate?
On waking, lying still, before you get up. Take it over several mornings and average them: a single reading moves with sleep, stress and caffeine.
Why am I always above my zone?
Usually because the estimated maximum is too low for you, or because you are running your easy days too hard. If your Z2 feels impossibly slow, test your real maximum before assuming the zones are wrong.
Keep calculating
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